Trade calculations being overturned by tariff volatility globally: Jaishankar

07 Oct 2025 Evaluate

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that trade calculations are being overturned by tariff volatility globally. His remarks on tariff volatility come amid a downturn in ties between New Delhi and Washington after US President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50 per cent, including a 25 per cent additional duty for India's purchase of Russian crude oil.

The minister delved into the strategic consequences of profound changes being witnessed in the geopolitical landscape, including the shifting of one-third of global manufacturing to a single geography, in an apparent reference to China. He said ‘consider the global landscape now and let us reflect on the intensity of the transformation and their implications. A third of global manufacturing has moved to a single geography, with attendant consequences for supply chains’. He noted that the global energy scenario has changed profoundly with the US becoming a major fossil fuel exporter and China a key renewable one. There are competing models on the harnessing of data and evolution of Artificial Intelligence which jostle with each other. He added that big Tech has become a significant player in itself. New routes of connectivity are emerging, some of them with a strategic purpose. The mobility debate seeks to reconcile skills, demand and social reactions to them.

The external affairs minister also listed the application of sanctions, the seizure of assets and the advent of crypto as elements changing the face of global finance. Competition for rare earths and critical minerals has become visceral, even as technology controls have further tightened. The quality of weaponry and the nature of war itself has been transformed, making it more stand-off, more impactful and definitely more risk-prone.  


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